Altman meets Agatha Christie, with some pretty confusing results. Agatha Christie's mysteries were a finely honed balance between character development and plot detail—knowing just enough to care about discovering who the killer was and why he/she killed.
Unfortunately, Altman cares about neither aspect of story development here. There was a time when the mention of an Altman film gave me shivers of anticipation and excitement. Altman had crafted the ensemble cast concept into a visual delight - M*A*S*H and Nashville spring instantly to mind.
But, like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and Gosford Park is definitely the end of Altman's creative spark. Altman proved that an ensemble cast of 15 people could be a rare confection indeed. Under his skillful control he was always aware of how a good plot and subtle character nuances could bring out the best in his characters—and hence the story.
Yet, like the greedy child in a candy store, Altman attempts to "go extreme" and serve up a mishmash ensemble cast that topples over at 30! Among the jumble of corridor scenes, kitchen scenes, and bedroom confessions are a few bright spots—Maggie Smith as a tired aristocrat with attitude, the too-inquisitive maid, and the bumbling, self-assured detective who hasn't a clue---for a change!
Another extreme was the pacing of the plot. Was it necessary to keep the pace at fast forward? A smaller cast and slower pace would have done much to save this lovely-looking film from pretentious posing.
Unfortunately, Altman cares about neither aspect of story development here. There was a time when the mention of an Altman film gave me shivers of anticipation and excitement. Altman had crafted the ensemble cast concept into a visual delight - M*A*S*H and Nashville spring instantly to mind.
But, like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and Gosford Park is definitely the end of Altman's creative spark. Altman proved that an ensemble cast of 15 people could be a rare confection indeed. Under his skillful control he was always aware of how a good plot and subtle character nuances could bring out the best in his characters—and hence the story.
Yet, like the greedy child in a candy store, Altman attempts to "go extreme" and serve up a mishmash ensemble cast that topples over at 30! Among the jumble of corridor scenes, kitchen scenes, and bedroom confessions are a few bright spots—Maggie Smith as a tired aristocrat with attitude, the too-inquisitive maid, and the bumbling, self-assured detective who hasn't a clue---for a change!
Another extreme was the pacing of the plot. Was it necessary to keep the pace at fast forward? A smaller cast and slower pace would have done much to save this lovely-looking film from pretentious posing.